Melancholy Reminiscing
by CrumbledCandyWrapper
Summary: Chapter 5 is Up! A fic based on l0velyfe's "The Double D Dare", as told from Double D's POV. Please do read along and follow a story of friendship, coming-of-age, sorrow, hurt, tears, love, pain, and comfort. Plus a whole lot of other Ed, Edd 'n Eddy shenanigans! Your average KevEdd fic! Rated T for now with minor swearing here and there. Read and Review because I Love You All! :3
1. Chapter 1

_**Melancholy Reminisce**_

_**A KevEdd fanfic**_

_**By CrumbledCandyWrapper**_

* * *

**_Man, those sprints killed me…_**

…I should have left at that very second…

**_Yeah, coach seemed kind of peeved about something._**

…Left everything I ever felt about you and just walked away…

**_You were smacking the shit outta the balls today, dude._**

If only I'd had the insight… Known what horrendous things you'd allow them to utter at my expense…

**_Thanks…_**

It was only a day or so…

Maybe not even a full 24 hours yet…

How'd I allow myself to become so enthralled by your diction?

The smoothness of your words that had me sweating puddles and commanded my attention…

The supple traces of your lips, pressed against mine for what felt like eternity, taking my breath away with each pull, push, bit and nibble…

That warm, inviting touch, causing me to react in quivers- engendering me into doubting the very threads of reality and question if it was all just a dream…

The lies behind it all that had me in tears…

**_So, how'd the little date go? Did he do it, Mark?_**

**_Hell yeah, he did! Saw it with my own eyes!_**

**_No way!_**

**_Man, you're nasty!_**

"_Date…"_

My heart nearly sang at the word when he'd used it. Just thinking that you might've told your friends about us, used that word to describe our night and just know in the end that they'd all be okay with it…

But "nasty"? That wasn't precisely the word I would have ventured towards.

Maybe "unexpected"… even a little surrealistic…

However our…_date_…was nothing along the lines of disgusting.

…At least _then _it wasn't…

_**I guess a bet's a bet, guys. Better cough up**._

I couldn't believe it. Mostly because I didn't think I heard it…

_That couldn't have come from Kevin's mouth… _Could it?

"A bet's a bet?"

What exactly did you mean by _that_?

**_Shit, I didn't think you'd actually do it, Kev. I bet he loved it. He looks like a little _fag_!_**

My eyes watered; they almost welled over at such a derogatory term.

It hurt, yes, but I expected you'd be roused to defend me.

Like you did on Saturday night…

How you told me that I wasn't as "obnoxious" as the others.

How you believed that we might've actually been really good friends had things gone a little differently.

Hearing you say all those things somehow made me believe that you'd be the one to make it all stop… make them apologize and take it all back.

Make Mark regret that he'd ever even called me a—

**_Whatever, dude…_**

…That's all you said…

**_Just hand it over…_**

…And I was speechless…

**_Ten bucks, right?_**

**_Yeah…_**

What was I hearing at that moment?

What was I _hearing_?

Surely you didn't believe that our time at the movies together,

the time that was so innocent and brand-new to me,

was worth a meager ten dollars?

…**Right…?**

* * *

When I was absolutely positive I'd heard the crumbling of the bill in your palm, I ran. Mark and another teammate brushed into me, just as shocked as you were in the face-maybe even a little more. All I can recollect from the moment was me tumbling over in a heap, and the spider I'd been carrying running loose somewhere unknown to me in the locker room. I watched it for only a second, not caring how I looked to the rest of you. It took all I had to stand and steady myself into another full out sprint. It was the fastest I'd ever run in my life. Air pleaded to enter my untrained respiratory tracts but my legs whipped over the earth with no plans to steady. My eyes hissed in pain from the dampened air and my salted tears reminded me I'd been crying for a considerably long while.

It had been a dare.

A _bet_, even.

None of it had even been sincere. Of course not. I was foolish to even think it was. It never could have been anything more than a joke_._ A choked sob escaped me, and as I darted towards the cul-de-sac, I covered my mouth with one hand. So many thoughts raced through my head at that moment, but everything only lead back to the one horrible truth I'd been trying to ignore: you haven't changed, Kevin… You haven't changed at all.

My heartache eased momentarily when I made out the likeness of my house coming up over the horizon line not too much further. I swear I heard someone call for me. Calling me by my old nickname, even. That, I could tell, was audible enough. I couldn't immediately place the voice, even as my head snapped in the direction of the yell. Over the heavy roars of a nicely manufactured motorcycle, came the source of my sorrow.

Insult to injury. Was I not even allowed to sulk in the sanctity of my own adobe? Would you really take even _that_ from me? My heart must not have been enough for you. Tarnishing the respect I'd given you was just an appetizer. There was definitely more damage to be done. Maybe your engines blared towards me then as a warning. Your ten dollar acquirement wasn't enough and you came to make sure I'd keep what happened last Saturday night between us. Your teammates already knew it was a -_bet_- but it would take more for me to remain silent.

Realization had set in almost too quickly. In order for me to stay quiet, you knew it'd have to be a physical threat. One that left a mark so I could look to it as a sickening reminder of my ignorance. So you climbed onto your bike, probably telling your teammates all about the twisted things you'd have done before you returned, and you started after me. My throat clenched tighter as yet another choked cry escaped me. The fear these thoughts sent into my brain shot spasms of adrenaline through me that I could've never managed to accumulate on my own. By the time you rounded the curve, I was already harnessing this newfound energy into my best sprint in order to escape you.

I met the door to my house in a half-hearted embrace as I pushed it open and slinked my way inside. I noticed you pulling in from the corner of my eye and my pupils dilated in arduous terror. Seeing you face-to-face was similar to death itself. As comforting as dying seemed after everything that occurred, I didn't want my demise to stem from my failure to differentiate fact from fiction. How would I explain that?

'_A fool who never experienced love falling into the vices of an athletic redhead, all because of one immature _bet_'_…?

The media would milk that for every nickel and dime. Surely my parents wouldn't be too happy? And what about the school officials and personnel? My death wouldn't have been astronomical, but a lot of Peach Creek Highs' clubs and organizations would fall apart at the seams due to my absence.

Maybe it was that small fact or just pure luck, but I managed to simply turn the knob to the door and fell limply on the floor inside. Realizing the door may have still been open, I used my last bit of strength to run up to it and shut it with extreme vigor. By that time, you had long since retreated from your motorcycle, not even worrying that you left the kickstand up. You managed to catch the door just as it closed and I locked at least three different hinges in place behind it, even going as far as securing the broken latch of an old broken lock in place just so I felt a little better.

Suffice it to say it did nothing to quiet my mind. I stared at the white oak door, taking a step backwards and jumping at the sound of pounding not seconds later.

**_Double D, open the door!_**

I swallowed hard, wrapping my arms around myself. I'd nearly peed myself, I was so scared. Now you were _demanding _me? Where did that sweet, genuine tone and those longing sea green eyes from Saturday go off to all of the sudden? Was it just _so dangerously bad_ for me to wish he'd come back for just one last conversation? A goodbye, maybe?

Of course it would be. _That _Kevin's just a ruse. A ploy deviated to win my trust and manipulate my heart. Your sweet nothings were just that, Kevin: sweet, empty nothings. It wasn't hard for me at that point to just turn my head to rest it against the cool blue wall beside me and weep to my own accord. A frustrated groan came from the other side of the door. I could tell it was you, giving up.

**_C'mon, please?_**

I shrank into myself at your voice, remaining silent. Curse you and those acid words escaping from such a seemingly angelic façade. It was another fifteen minutes before it grew quiet. My eyes puffy and dry of any more moisture, I retreated upstairs to take a long shower. My parents never came home, and I quite honestly couldn't bring myself to care very much.

But now, here I am, showered, dressed in pajamas and just wondering how it all came to this point. My head now aches a throbbing migraine that no amount of ibuprofen's could remedy right now, and I wouldn't rouse myself to retrieve them if I wanted to.

_Honestly_, Eddward…

How could you let yourself slip into this mess…?

**_Ten bucks, right?_**

**_Yeah…_**

That was all it took. A ten dollar bribe and a kiss that probably meant less. Everything felt so wrong at the wrong time in the wrong place. And I find myself, contemplating who I double-crossed to have karma attack me like it has.

Whoever it is, or was, I'd have surely gone out of my way to apologize because- quite frankly, I wouldn't wish this type of debilitating stress on my worst enemy…

Not even Kevin…


	2. Chapter 2

_Thanks for all the reviews! It really means a LOT! _

_I guess I've decided to make this into somewhat of an ongoing project, and I'll try to post chapters up of this when I can. Your reviews gave me the drive to do so, so it's all thanks to my reviewers! _

_For now, I give you the next part in Double D's heartbreaking experience; a day later where we can see how things are starting to affect him._

_As always, thanks to **l0velyfe **for inspiring the idea behind this fic, and **c2ndyac1d **and all other KevEdd supporters who've made this ship what it is today!_

_Read and Review, all posts are welcome,_

_&&, As Always,_

_ENJOY!_

* * *

**Melancholy Reminiscing**

**A KevEdd fanfic**

_Chapter Two_

* * *

I woke up groggily Tuesday morning. There were bags under my eyes; so heavy I almost felt pressed into the mattress beneath me when I awoke. For a long while, the events of yesterday completely disappeared, shrouded in a restless night of premature stupor. Everything was numb, yet everything was aching. My abdomen ached to stretch beneath echoes of cramps and convulsions. My arms, the right one especially, were crying to me as if I knew what horrible action sent them into this fit of compulsory pain. And my head- good Lord, the pain in my head –reminded me that last night's migraine hadn't subsided. I fumbled around on the end table adjacent to me to disarm the alarm that blared inconsiderately loud next to my headrest. In the silence of the morning- the chirping birds, the raindrops of a late night thunderstorm falling in loose pattern from atop the roof, the ringing in my right ear from the constant whir and clamor of my alarm clock –I could make out the sun creeping into my room from underneath the veil of primordial sun. A few birds chirped, probably signaling other birds that the rain was officially over with, or just simply reminding other species of morning time.

How far into the day was it? It still seemed reasonably early, but it had to have been fairly close to noon. Lunchtime even. _...Lunchtime…?_ Was that what time it was? 11:20 already? I reached over to the end table once more, grabbing the alarm clock and holding the frame fairly close to my eyes. I'm forced to blink away the stinging it induced from the glass frame reflecting sunlight onto me. Between my blinks and adjusting my glare, I could slowly make out the hour; 12:45. Oddly, this didn't stir anything within me. I'd almost been late once before, a long time ago when Eddy preoccupied me with another hair-brained scheme to earn quarter change, but only then I was much more determined to make it to class on time. It was no big issue then. But then what was so different now? Did I know beforehand of a day off from school? Were there reports of our counties schools being closed for the day, due to the sufficient booms of last night's storm? No, not any to recall upon, really. Whether you enjoyed school or not, a school day out was something every highschooler seemed to mark up in their mental calendar- I would've definitely remembered a development like that.

At a loss, my legs fly out from beneath the comfort of thick cotton sheets and I sit in a slump of myself on the edge of my bed. My head rushed iron-heavy blood coursing through my tiny veins, reminding every nook and cranny to hit me with every pain I was feeling all at once. Physical, emotional, sensual. A pang of excruciatingly painful chorus rose up from within me and threatened to burst with just the slightest gesture. I chose not to rub the inside creases of my temples, solemnly scolding myself for knowing that wouldn't cure a thing. Those painkillers sounded pretty good right now, though. Lazily, I trudged around my room for about twenty minutes- showering for thirty, and drying and fixing my hair into my hat in less than ten. My hat pinched the headache I was dealing with all towards my frontal lobe, making me flinch at the ferocious intensity it delivered in. In the mirror closest to me, I made out the time as it appeared on my clock hub- it was now drawing on 1:50

_Good gracious, Eddward… you look like a million bucks…_ I couldn't even_ pretend_ to be more sarcastic.

_Painkillers. Painkillers are just what I need right about now. At least they'll hold me over until my mother could supply me with more potent over-the-counter meds. Two pills… then retreat to the living room couch for the rest of the evening… Make it that far, at least._

Using that as motivation, I roused myself and headed for my bedroom door. I never admitted it before, but something about the labels that blatantly point out every personal possession I own sickens me. Each named object reminding me every day of my obsessive compulsive ways. I noticed this only briefly, because by that time I'd wrapped myself in a blanket and trudged down the stairs; my mind had wandered elsewhere.

What was I doing yesterday? What was the purpose of me staying home from school today? Why was every single muscle in my body aching with all this fervor? Something about it made my headache worse, but I suppose my using my brain at all gentled the aching a bit, if only a little. I entered into the kitchen and started focusing my attention back to the painkillers. At this point, consuming ibuprofen's seemed almost like a trip to the candy store. With one hand securing the blanket to my body, the other searched cabinets for something decent enough to hold liquid in. I was so hard-pressed to taking the meds, I could drink from a bowl right now. When I reached the last counter on my right, I noticed something a little more inviting than water sitting innocently enough on the kitchen counter.

Chocolate. _Hot_ chocolate. I'd forgotten I even purchased it, but seeing it brought it back to me quickly enough. In a brown rectangular boxed jar it sat, untouched for well over a month. A spontaneous purchase at best. Something I honestly didn't _have _to have but seemed right at the time. Somewhat serendipitous, too. Could I take that with painkillers? Were there side-effects to that? It didn't matter to me really. Instinct takes over and I'm subconsciously carried over to the dining room, where the lone bottle of medicine rests nonchalantly for me to retrieve. Within minutes, I'm lowering myself onto the plushness of my living room sofa, where a piping hot bowl of freshly brewed hot chocolate awaits to warm my palette and chase down the two 450mg pills I ingested.

The TV remote caught my eye after a moment of losing myself in the smoky vapors of heat off liquid. A marathon of Shark Week had started a few segments ago and I arranged myself comfortably enough where I wouldn't require too much movement should nature call or I'm in need of a catnap. I must have caught the marathon a few episodes in from the beginning. These episodes were old to me, having seen them from their air dates back when this show was still somewhat popular. Needless to say, I was out before I knew it. A dreamless sleep, filled with pitch black vision and some light, innocent snores.

I didn't have time to calculate how long I'd been out when I was woken abruptly from my sleep, a thudding smack pounding against my front door.

_**Double D, are you in there?**_

The last time I'd heard someone use my nickname like that I was running for my life from one of the most popular kids at Peach Creek High. _…One of the most popular… _Oh, no. My heart sank towards my liver and switched places with my appendix at the sudden realization of what was happening. Kevin had come back! Finishing what he started, no doubt. For Christ's sake, wasn't I going through enough with this? My permanent record marred ugly with an unexcused absence and a "Perfect Attendance" award-winning streak that wouldn't be fulfilled this year. All because of some cocky, sycophantic, arrogant, big-headed, stuck-up, smart-alecky—

_**Double D!**_

I jumped from my inner rant at the call. Curse my timorous ways… I'd stand for this no longer. If I could help it, you'd never have the satisfaction of getting one over on me and not having any sort of reprimand. Today, win or lose, beaten or unscathed, you would learn that my heart is no toy with which I share sparingly. I tend to get very physical when my possessions are damaged and tossed about haphazardly. Remembering a time when Ed accidently dropped my very first ant collection on the ground in my bedroom roused me further.

I rose from the couch, coaxing the moan from the inevitable stretch- I must have been out longer than I'd realized, and let the blanket that enveloped me flail onto the floor and lie motionless. In what could have been three large bounds, fury taking over as my body helped me realize the painkillers worked and I could function properly, I headed for the front door. The adrenaline from Monday came surging back all at once, a little too much at once as I recalled the situation it was beckoned for. Would I really need _this much help_ if I hoped to overpower him? The thought made me shiver inwardly, but I wouldn't convey my fear in my visage. I'd remain ice cold, with a heart hardened to stone and a glare that could melt glaciers instantly.

With this in mind, I clenched a fist. Tightened it as hard as I could manage, figuring the adrenaline kick may be a sign that my first punch should be my best. If I left my mark on you first, any kind of "message" you meant to send to me would become null. I'd become the _true_ victor, win or lose, because me injuring you meant that people at school would at least not pity me. I'd have their respect for standing up to someone who only plays with emotions and doesn't put them away when he's finished. And they'd look to you like a bully. A coward. A senseless, unthinking, unfeeling mess of a man. No amount of popularity could mend that. It _was _high school, after all.

This was it. One turn of the knob and I'd have you exactly where I want you. One good advance, and you'd become nothing. To me or anyone else. Just picturing it distracted me enough to the point that by the time I'd realized what happened, I was being held in a suffocating bear hug by one of the most loveable lugs I've ever had the joy of meeting.

I struggled for a moment, muffled cries of terror ripping through me and into the chest my closest friend, who'd I'd momentarily mistaken as my arch enemy. It was when my feet lifted the ground and my chin fell into the cleft of his masculinity had I'd focused on who'd apprehended me so easily.

"…Ed…?" I questioned through muffled tone.

"Hiya, Double D!" he answered back almost too loudly- the big oaf.

My throat tightened, and within seconds came the waterworks. Tears beat down onto Ed's chest and soaked his striped t-shirt instantly. I felt apologetic about it all, but Ed reassured me quickly enough by rapping softly on my back with his heavy hands.

"Why is Double D so upset?" Ed asked in what had to have been the most sincerest gesture of worry.

I tried to calm down, to catch a breath and answer Ed immediately. He deserved an answer, but if I waited too long to give him a response, he would have forgotten he'd asked a question in the first place and his mind would venture elsewhere. I put my hands against his chest, barely even covering one pectoral with my hand spread open wide. I pushed back to stare him in the face, tried to cough up some form of voice beneath my heavy sobs, and must have frightened Ed when he looked back down to me. Within seconds I was face first into his body again, Ed having almost screamed his next words as he held me tight and refused to let go.

"Don't be sad, Double D!" His right hand went from patting my back to rubbing the ends of my head and neck softly.

_Honestly… _I thought under a quivering whimper. _He's holding me as if I'm a lost puppy he'd been looking for…_

Hearing my choked cries, which were partly pleads for air, Ed eased himself a little and allowed me space enough to emerge my head from his chest. He gazed into my eyes intently, hoping he could do something or say something more to stop my tears. You can do nothing _but _grow to love someone as genuinely kind and caring as Ed.

"You know…" Ed continued as he took his sleeve and roughly scratched it against my face. "Eddy says that Kevin's a jerk! And even though you're different, you'll always be our friend. No matter what!"

His words kicked up one more whimper before he gently released me and allowed me space to rub my overflowing eyes and recollect myself.

"Oh, Ed…" I said low and apologetically. "…Thank you…"

Ed smiled a goofy grin and turned back to face my open front door. "You can come in now, Eddy!" he called.

Seconds passed, and Eddy came stepping past the threshold, head down and hands stuffed into his pockets. He looked to me expectantly. "Are the waterworks over?"

He politely shut the door closed behind him. Only turning back to give me another look that demanded response. The air grew thick from the awkward silence. I'd be lying to him now if I said _yes_, and he'd know it. I couldn't answer him now; it just wouldn't seem fair to—

"I told him what you said, Eddy!" Ed happily yelled as he walked towards me and playfully punched my gut.

_Ow…*_ I thought with a chagrined grimace. Catching my breath, and Eddy's ever apprehensive glance. I finally replied. "Thank you… Thanks so much, Eddy…"

Eddy gave a small huff of a laugh and looked back down to the marble kitchen floors, picking up an old habit of kicking his foot around as he did so.

"Yeah, well…" he said. "I won't lie to 'ya and say I didn't see this coming…" He peered at my questioning look and corrected himself. "I mean I always kinda knew but… I mean, well… not with _him, _but…" He shrugged. "You're our friend, String Bean. Always have, always will be."

Blurred vision warned of another fit of crying, which Eddy rolled his eyes playfully at.

"Come on now!" he lamented as he held out a single arm in a hugging gesture. "Don't get all _'Splash Mountain'_ on me now, Double Dork!"

Without much further, I quickly returned his hug, both hands placed tight around his neck as a withheld tear slipped down my face onto his collar. Ed could hardly contain himself, and used his overwhelmingly large strength to lift both Eddy and I to his level and squish us both into one more tightly packed hug.

"We love you, Double D!" he yelled once more in Eddy's ear, receiving a deadly glare and a pouty groan from the short brunette, and a pained choke of a giggle from myself.

Tears threatened escape again, but I didn't care. They weren't from fright or anger, they were from happiness. Knowing that, in this world, even when I'm at my lowest, there were still two people that I could depend on for more than I could ever ask for made me feel luckier than I realized I was.

The rest of my day would go just fine based on that alone, and I'd put up with this bear hug for as long as it lasts if it meant being comfortable with my two bestfriends…


	3. Chapter 3

_As always before we start, thanks you guys for keeping this alive with the feedback! It means a bunch, really! _

_Sorry this chapter is so short and I apologize Kevin hasn't made much of an appearance here as of late,_

_but do believe me when I say that what I have planned for this story involves more characters than you think!_

_i just hope you all will stick around til' then! ^_^_

* * *

Despite my pleas against it, Eddy commanded me to go to school today. I'd begged him otherwise- staying home from school was actually a pleasant release from it all once Ed and Eddy had arrived –but he objected by saying that schoolwork and a good project grade or two would be just what I needed to get out of my slump. Eddy had an annoying way with words that just simply could not be protested against. A real charismatic quality.

As if I couldn't be trusted, Eddy and Ed stood watch over me in my bedroom. They assured themselves that I'd showered and brushed my teeth and hair (tasks that I'd normally do anyways) and made sure I ate breakfast. It was funny how much I'd neglected yesterday in my fit of depression. Ed offered to spoon feed me clumps of Chunky Puffs cereal, but after my previous experiences with the heavily sugared brand, I objected and settled for a bowl of oatmeal instead. Needless to say I allowed him one or two spoons before indulging on the meal by myself.

It was early morning, just passing 7 o'clock when we'd left my house, and he, Eddy and I were walking on our way to school. They'd stayed over at my house the night before, with Ed refusing to leave me alone in my condition. Eddy was the first to try and take my mind off of Kevin, having the idea to watch a few comedy and mystery flicks that Ed brought over. They knew me so well- knew that I love these genres almost as much as I love documentaries and autobiography films. Eddy and Ed could never muster up enough of an attention span to get into all the lengthy informational cinema like I chose to, so we all compromised at an early age that Ed, Eddy and I would only try to watch these together instead.

Knowing that I'd missed yesterday's work, Eddy took it upon himself to update my schedule and write down any assignments I may have missed on the little agenda planner I held in my locker. He claimed to have had to vouch for my absence when teachers and some members of the football team began asking around school for me. I can't help but wonder what the football team could have wanted, though.

"I just told 'em that you were sick at home." Eddy explained, giving me a _matter-of-factly_ glare.

Admittedly, I guess it was partially true.

I suppose I _was _sick, but from _what_ exactly was just too much to divulge in a public setting such as a high school, so I'm glad Eddy had the foresight to leave the matter where he did. I'm pretty sure most of the school knew anyways. The rules of high school can be cruel in that sense. It all seemed preposterous. _Just how much can you miss in __**one day**__?_

Besides the fact that most of Eddy's stories seemed exaggerated, he almost always had a tell that foretold of his fibber's quip. I'd listened to him rant about yesterday's events like the highlights of a previous night's football game, warily investigating his visage with a stoic glare. He continued on, flashy hand gestures and movements of the eyebrows to accompany whatever he'd been going on about at the moment. Suffice it to say, there was no tell. So whatever he had uttered was, at least from his understanding, true.

A lot happened yesterday as far as the social scale was concerned, but- of course –none of that related to me. Things like Nazz getting a new bellybutton piercing and one of the Kanker sisters harassing some new kid in our homeroom didn't interest me too much, but some of the things Eddy were bringing up were noteworthy.

Apparently, Jimmy got his braces frames removed, and was becoming quite a popular topic due to how attractive it made him. Ironically, Sarah (Ed's baby sister) actually needs braces and is scheduled to have the procedure set and underway within the turn of the week. Johnny lost Plank in a scuffle from a pep rally I must have missed. All Eddy remembers is that whoever had the altercation wasn't all that popular- and the fact that he lost probably made that a bigger issue, at least for the loser, anyways.

"He even missed the first punch!" Eddy proclaimed, distraught at the past happenings. Ed mumbled a knowing hum from behind, having just torn himself away from a squirrel he thought had been following us the whole time. "Poor loser… He'll probably _never _live that down."

"At least not with you around, Eddy!" Ed added as he made his way to my right to walk evenly with Eddy and me.

Eddy rolled his eyes. "Shut up, Bean Dip…"

The crudeness of the unfunny joke made me roll _my _eyes in response. "Eddy, that's not very polite." I chided as I turned back to my right to face Ed. "I thought your input was very insightful, Ed."

Ed pursed his lips into a grin, more than likely pondering if he'd just received a compliment or not, and he slung his arm around me. "Thanks, Double D!"

"_Anyways_!" Eddy boasted loudly enough to get the attention back onto him. "I think that's about all you really needed to know, Edd."

If anyone in my tight-knit circle of friends were reliable for any source of information, as far as the social ladder was concerned, Eddy was the one to go to. Although he was more of a person to spread the rumor around once it got unrealistically farfetched and sounded better on the ears, he was still in on the know.

Since Junior High, Eddy became more involved with some of the clubs and organizations going on in the community, and he inspired Ed to do the same. Joining the Debate Team really did wonders for his linguistic skills, although now he uses what he's learned mostly to have heated arguments with anyone foolish enough to dispute with him. As soon as he'd heard our school was getting its own chapter for the Future Business Leaders of America Association, he was keen on being one of its first inaugural members. Ed joined lacrosse, a favorite of his Fall/Spring sports, and even highlighted as manager of the girls team. Well, manager's probably not the appropriate term. Since Sarah plays lacrosse too, and the girls practice after the boys on the same field, Ed's forced to wait behind before walking home, so the girls coach, Mrs. Gallagher, insisted he "be of some use" and help the team out with water and things of that nature.

It's really helped out with their popularity at school, as they've both seemed to gain some level of respect amongst the many athletes at Peach Creek. Some of these were very popular people, too; Alexandria McGreggor from Homeroom A, Kenny Salvadore- an underclassman from the undergrad homerooms, and even Johnny, although Johnny's been sort of short on gossip ever since his track season ended.

"And there's not much going on for him as far as Environmental Club is concerned…" Eddy finished under a small huff. "..Shame… he really did keep a pretty big checklist on all the single chicks at the Creek."

The Creek. Eddy's epithet for our high school. I can't really recall when he'd dubbed it with this title, but it's stuck with him- and some of his other acquaintances -for quite a while now. Speaking of which, as soon as Eddy and Ed trailed off into their own little debate about… well, who knows what movie it was about this time, Peach Creek High School showed up in the distance amongst the underbrush of the cascading fall weather. Kids had already arrived and were scattered about around the outside foyer, speaking indefinitely to one another.

My heart started pounding immediately. I hadn't even noticed I stopped in my tracks until Eddy's small body bumped into the nape of my back with a thud.

After picking himself up from the ground, and Ed lifting me so easily to my feet with one arm across my abdomen, Eddy began lashing out at me.

"Hey! What's the big idea, Sock Head!?" he screamed, making me flinch at the tone.

I wouldn't answer. I just held my green messenger bag close to my chest like some awful kind of apparatus, and shifted my gaze to the uniform blue double doors of the Main Building.

Eddy matched my gaze with his own, Ed even caught on and followed, and they both turned back and gave me apologetic glances.

"Double D," Ed started, looking into me. "Do you not want to go back to school…?"

Eddy walked over to my side and wrapped a hand around my waist after rolling his eyes again at Ed. His next words came out calm and calculated; very soothing, even.

"Of course he don't, Ed…" The tallest amongst the Eds made his way to my other side and placed his arm back around my neck. "But we've got your back, man."

I hadn't realized he was referring to me at the end of his comment until Ed shook me around in the cuff of his arm and gave another knowing hum.

"He's right, Double D!" he called out. "If they bother you, you can just come to us! And we'll make _everything_ better!"

"Just no waterworks. _Especially_ not here, you understand?" I slowly nodded. "For Pete's sake, half the track team and swim teams are out here, at least."

I shot a look down towards Eddy at his comment. "Gee, glad to see you're '_oh so'_ worried about me, Eddy…"

Eddy removed his arm quickly enough and scratched at his neck in an absurd fashion. "Well, what do you expect? Gotta work around this in a way that benefits all three of us! I'm thinking of the _big picture_, Double D."

Once he lowered the boxed frame he created with his hands that was encased around me and Ed, Eddy walked back up to me and pushed me forward.

"Now 'git!" He commanded. "And like I said: _NO WATERWORKS!"_

Curse Eddy and his unfeeling mannerisms. Oh, how I so longed to be at home right now…


	4. Chapter 4

_PHEW! ..._

_Okay! Bring on the hate because I know I'm extra late... :P_

_Sorry about that, but real-life can really get of the way of this whole fanfiction thing... (go figure)_

_To somewhat appease you guys though, i did my best to make this the most _

_grammar error free, aesthetically pleasing, and almost 1,000 word longer chapter that I could manage!_

_So, yeah... Read and Review _

_a__nd ENJOY!_

* * *

_**Just seven more hours, Eddward…**_

_**Just seven. More. Hours…**_

Before I knew it, this became my mantra for the day. Seven hours of bullying, smart aleck students with obnoxiously ignorant comments and evil glares shot at me for previous events. Surely they all knew by now. They had to know, right? It's not like an entire baseball team could hold something this astronomical for very long. Only one day had passed- two if you count the one I spent dwelling in my sorrows at home –yet I'm positive that word of our… _date_… spread like wildfire amongst our gossipy peers. It would be official soon; Kevin and I would surely catch a lot of grief from our classmates concerning one regretful trip to the movies.

_**Just seven more hours…**_

_**Seven more hours!**_

The thought sickened me. My stomach replied in knots and butterflies flew around frantically with no way out but to bash against the inside creases of my abdomen. I had allowed my mind to drift for quite some time now, letting one ludicrous thought collide into the next, as I sit in silence in my first period class. It was amazing me how much depression and anxiety alone could undo a person. I really did have quite a basically crafted stomach; nice -as far as most kids of my stature go- and flat with no noticeable flabs or stretch marks. No veins protruding the skin at odd angles. No sensual "v-line" that marked the epitome of a careful workout. I caught myself staring blankly into the poster of the Muscle Man, his skinless body being lined with key points of muscular facts and scientific muscle group names. It amused me how I was comparing this diagram of the muscular system to a mental image of myself in my head, doing the pros and cons of looking as muscular and bulky as Muscle Man appeared.

As I turned away, I noticed Mrs. Wattson writing away at the board, prompting me to take out my notebook and pen to copy it down. I started turning to the next available blank page, when I'd seen handwriting unlike my own marring the care arrangements of the pages before. My mind automatically took hold of the assumption that Eddy more than likely scribbled these down in an attempt to keep me up to date with what I'd missed in this class. It was a noble gesture, sure, but the fact that these poorly handwritten notes were accompanied by doodles of Eddy in piles of money and girls made me dismiss it as trivial.

AP Anatomy was actually a very nice class to have in the morning, despite popular denial. It activates the thought processes regardless of what state of mind you were in… and right about now I could use any distraction life threw at me. Just as I finished the thought a lone paper ball came hurdling towards my skull, blunted by the fact that I didn't see it coming. I flinched at the impact, giving a shrill whimper that made most eyes turn to me and others shy away just as suddenly.

_Childish buffoons... Why the nerve of some people too-_

"Eddward?" Mrs. Wattson said, turning herself away from the board to face me. "…Is something wrong?"

No one answered for me, which for some reason I found myself to have been hoping for. Eddy and Edd would have spoken in my defense in a heartbeat, and I must've been assuming someone with the same mindset would have the same bravado. I was wrong, of course. No one spoke up, everyone stared- as if waiting for some sort of obligated response, and I just sat there; staring blank into Mrs. Wattsons visage and slightly unnerved by the aftereffects of the paper ball attack.

"…Eddward?" Mrs. Wattson said again.

Finally, after a little too long of a pause, I replied. "Uhm… N-no Mrs. Wattson. Everything's… everything is fine. Thank you…"

Mrs. Wattsons brow furrowed. "Well…" she hesitated. "If you were meaning to ask a question, just wait until I give the rest of the class these new notes. I realize you were absent yesterday and this is some new material we haven't gone over yet."

I nodded; annoyed by her ignorance to assess the lie I'd just given her.

With a solemn look back down towards my notes I replied. "Y-yes… I understand. I'll wait until you're finished then…"

_Now _Mrs. Wattson caught onto something. "Oh don't worry, Edd!" she said happily before turning back to finish a sentence on the thyroids. "I'm sure you of all people will be caught up with this in no time!" The amount of people sucking their teeth and spitting inaudible insults towards me was innumerable. "This is a very easy chapter, anyways!"

I faked a shy giggle, secretly angered at the class and even Mrs. Wattson. "I do hope so. Thank you Mrs. Wattson…"

The class lesson continued shortly after that, but it took a few minutes before the remaining death glares and crude insults quelled. Once they had subsided, I buried my head into my notebook, awkwardly leveled up to my nose like a veil. I shot a quick glance towards my wristwatch.

_**Just seven more hours… **_

_**Seven hours and thirty four minutes. You can hold out until then…**_

I suddenly felt the heavy glares of some of my classmates begin to settle back to a bearable amount and decided peek over towards the loose-leaf paper bomb thrown at me. With angered haste, I quickly unraveled the small lightweight, hoping to find a name or something to peg the culprit with. Once I inform Mrs. Wattson of what had really transpired moments before, I'm sure due justice would be served.

_It would only take a name to have that vagabond dealt with… _I thought with newfound vigor. The blame for the paper ball could have gone to anybody now and it wouldn't have made a difference to me.

My fingers gingerly traced over ends of the crumbled paper wrappings, prying with the garbage to hope for an easy slit to come forth. I hardly noticed a group of laughter trying it's hardest not to burst into clamor when I found one free piece to pull everything free.

I could feel my anticipation growing with each noisy unfurl. _Just give me a name… One name is all I nee-_

_**FAGGOT!**_

A demeaning term, written in graceless penmanship, all aimed towards me. The paper fluttered noiselessly to the table while my hands sat stiffened by the harshness of the appellation. I felt tears fill the corners of my eyes instantly, blurring my vision and threatening to overflow within seconds. The stifled laughter grew in intensity, with Mrs. Wattson merely letting out a shush or two in an attempt to quiet the class as she wrote. I observed this for only a brief moment, because my eyes stung with salted tears that forced them shut and started to fall freely onto my desk. Sitting only a few inches away, right next to me in the same rhombus-like black table, I heard Mark whisper what the paper had on it to another classmate, and they abruptly burst into laughter. He'd leaned over towards me once he saw me unravel the paper ball, and what I mistook as a look of shock turned into one of amusement and contempt.

The other baseball player I suspected threw the note was giving me a purely evil look from directly across from the room, his table facing mine an equal distance away. His friends, more from the team or other sports, were patting him congratulatory props for his crude attempt at humor- all while he simply glared at me with a devilish grin mixed with one deep-seated dark chuckle.

Word spread around the classroom too quickly for Mrs. Wattson to control. She was completely unaware of what was going on, yet I despised her nonetheless. Even as she was long since invested into quieting the class with animated gestures and commands like _Quiet down, class _or _Pay attention, students_, all I could do was somehow blame her for not being able to help. Mark, currently breathless from making crude homosexual jokes at my expense, began to do the same and pat my back as well. He hit so hard against me it almost felt like a deliberate punch at my spine rather than the calming indication he made it appear to be. It was all I could do not to whimper, especially when more tears flew out and he took notice of it with even more mocking and cooing noises.

"Aww~!" He uttered as he mimicked an infant's persona. "You're not gonna c'wy now, is you buddy…?" he joked, giving new life to the once dulling laughter in the room. "Wouldn't want 'Lil Kevey Wevey to see you like this, huh?"

No mercy came with the stinging blows of his jokes. Mark made fun of me with such cruelty and prejudice it almost seemed as if I'd deliberately did something towards him that he detested. His words came out smooth and each joke was strengthened in tow by one of even more intensity. The paper ball wasn't his plan, it wasn't even his joke, yet he continuously made jabs at my conscious with his words and accompanied his hurtful words with even more demeaning hand gestures.

Whether it was luck or pure coincidence, the bell rang with three large chimes. Before the laughter burned holes into my conscious, I used every last bit of power I could accumulate and pushed myself from the table. Without permission, I braced myself into a sprint and darted out of Mrs. Wattsons room, tears fluttering free from my eyes like liquid crystal. The class didn't stop laughing until much later, after my disappearance. Within what felt like milliseconds, I was inside the boys' restrooms, collapsed to the germy marbled floors in a heap of heavy sobs and choked gasps for air.

"Just seven more hours!" I screamed in between sobs. "Seven hours!"

My back rested against the bathroom door as I held my face in my hands and wept. I could feel my body convulsing in mass quantities and my throat tightened to a point where I feared death by some sort of asphyxiation. There were footsteps from the hall behind the thin oak doors of the boys' room, a large group from the sound of it, and just as suddenly as I'd heard them, they stopped. My sobs continued on their own, for my mind wrapped around where those footsteps could have gone. They were there a moment before, I'm certain I heard them, but they were gone now…

…_And they sounded as if they were actually coming from right on the other side of this door- _

With a hard thwack, I was smacked from the bathroom door and somewhere in the middle of the facilities. Pains from my backside joined in with those from the impact of marble on stomach and coalesced throughout my body. A strained gasp for air escaped me in small proportions, pleading for release as the collision left most of my body tight and aching. Out of my peripheral vision, I noticed a group of three rather tall students, with Mark as the group leader, standing in the threshold of the door- blocking the entrance…_and _my exit.

No words were said then. With a snap of his fingers, Mark's friends stood watch over the doors, the one furthest right allowing the door to slide past him before he posted himself in line with the duo. Mark, now knowing we were alone, smiled iniquitously as he casually walked over to me and picked me up by the collar.

I screamed, if only slightly, fearing the impact of fists on flesh would be next. After a few seconds, I felt nothing, so I opened my eyes to see a glossy, baby blue pair gawking back at me. The sudden change in perspective shocked me, as I could feel my feet dangling high in the air from Mark's amazingly long reach. Mark began speaking immediately as he caught my gaze.

"Hey Double _Brains_." He said. I gave no reply, my eyes desperately begging to be itched to alleviate the swollen red sacs beneath them.

Mark scoffed. "Hmph. Not speakin', eh?" His grip got much tighter around my collar- my own grasp held firm against his bony wrists.

"Fine. I'll cut to the chase then." He said. "Where's Kevin?"

I honestly had no correct answer to the question, even if I tried to give him one, but my mind was so flustered all I could think to say was, "I wouldn't know…"

"You wouldn't huh?" His eyes traced over mine, finally noticing the lines of drying tears and the swollen sacs underneath my eyes. "Take it you didn't like Vinny's gift?"

My gaze faltered as I started looking in every direction but Mark and the others.

"You gotta excuse Vinny, Edd. You see, he really did mean well…Trying to send a… 'message' if you will…" The warning bell for second period rang, and I somehow felt safe. Of course, this wasn't the case right now.

_**Six more hours…**_

Mark waited a while before speaking again; letting the implications of his words sink in with me.

"Well listen up, _queer_." I felt the perspiration as he literally spat the term. "Kevin ain't gay, and he doesn't need to be hangin' around a little pansy like you. So stay the fuck away from him, got it? The bet's over!"

It was all I could withstand not to submit fully to Mark and his derogatory terms towards me. I was one hundred percent on board with just melting into the threads of high school again and returning to a life where I wasn't the blunt of some jocks inhumane idea of a "joke". If it meant the pain and the hurt would go away with it, so be it. Take it and Kevin both- I could honestly care less where it goes from there -because, at that point, it wouldn't concern me in the least bit.

"…Unless you want more letters like _that _one, you'll stay away from our Captain!" He threw me down onto the floors again once he was finished, and more pain joined in with the ones from my aching back and stomach.

Surprisingly, I swear I thought I'd run dry by now, my eyes conjured up a few more tears, hanging by mere seconds on my eyelids.

"Aw, is he seriously _still _gonna cry?!" One boy asked from the doors. "Listen, kid. You really should have expected this."

"Yea!" the second chimed in. "You mean nothing to him, alright? You were just a bet. A ten dollar bet at that!"

Mark finished up my verbal beating then. "Quit while you're still in one piece, Edd. Just go back to being that quiet little nerdy kid that no one cares about. Better that than everyone on campus calling you a sissy, or a queer or a—"

I'd had enough. "_Okay! Okay!_" I screamed, louder than I thought myself capable of. "I accept your terms! I oblige!" Mark and his trio of friends grew shocked, wide-eyed faces. "Just leave me be! I won't bother you or Kevin or anyone else again. I apologize!"

Without noticing, I stood myself upright. My voice got more shrill and each word began coming out louder than the next.

"I've never once given you insensitive drudges the okay to demean me by making me believe _I _was something Kevin would venture for! Nor have I ever given you permission to abuse me and harass me like you have!

Mark's eyebrows met at an angered peak and he stepped forward. My words however, caught him almost immediately.

"As if it wasn't enough of you to just leave everything where it was and trust that I'd do the same, you attack me in the murky confines of this school's lavatory and force me into submission with your painful words and your spineless forebodings! I wanted to _die _from this experience cease living and be happy with the fact that I no longer had existence! You all did this to me and I've had it! Accept it as thr truth when I say that you nor Kevin will ever have to hear or see any of me _ever again!_"

I slung my carryall bag firmly back onto my more-than-likely bruised shoulder and pushed past Mark, the first obstacle in place for me, and into the 3-man crowd that was his teammates.

As soon as I thought I'd actually be permitted to leave the interrogating scene and head back into the hallway, I heard a charging grunt from behind, and promptly felt that blunt force of a punch to the back of the head. Needless to say, but I was rendered unconscious almost immediately.

I'm not sure when I woke up after that, but the first sight I saw actually made me… smile? It took me a minute or two to assess my situation, but once I took note of the silken white fabrics of the Nurse's Office, I looked up over my head to see a sight that oddly made me happier than I'd been for a _long time..._

And I find that to be one of the worst cases of irony because… looming over me like some sort of ginger haired angel- was Kevin...


	5. Chapter 5

_Okay, I actually couldn't resist with this next chapter. _

_It's been sitting in my Documents folder for like ... TOO LONG and I just had to finish it because inspiration struck!_

_Special thanks for all the new followers and the people who made me their **Favorite Author! **_

_Man, it felt good to get that email! ^_^_

_And as always, thanks for the reviews! _

_The Loooooove Ship & Fangirl4ver; your reviews were really nice, thanks! Love Ship's made me laugh, lol!_

_I hope and the others still follow this little rollercoaster of a story, cuz I love hearing from all you guys! :3_

_But, yeah, I'll shut up now... _

_ON WITH THE STORY! :D_

* * *

"…And as I proceeded to step past Mark and his companions, I felt a blunt strike to the back of my skull..."

I'd spent the first hour or so of my awakening explaining to Nurse Jackie what series of events lead to me visiting her today. I was made to sit upright in my bed while I spoke, a standard procedure in the event of suffering with blunt force trauma. Once I sat up, I was given a cool glass of ice water and two oddly green colored pills, and I was ordered to take a few big gulps before rousing myself to speak. Kevin sat close by in a patients chair on my left while Nurse Jackie sat herself to my right in a rolling chair she'd retrieved from her desk. She listened very intently to me- as did Kevin -more than likely due to how many of my weeks were spent helping her out with _other _sick or damaged students. Jackie, as I'd been told to refer to her as long ago, must have truly felt worry for me.

Before I was made to recall what happened, I surveyed the room and my surroundings. From what I could tell, Nurse Jackie, Kevin and I were the only three individuals present in the massive halls of the Infirmary. Anyone else who may have been admitted today must have long since been released, and that meant I was the last patient that needed to be tended to. Normally, in the case of passing out or being rendered unconscious, the ambulance would be called and I would have been hoisted by stretcher to the nearest hospital. However, given Nurse Jackie's experience in the medical field, she was permitted to tend to her duties within the confines of her office.

_I'm not surprised Mother and Father couldn't make an appearance. _

_Work probably held them up, anyways…_

As I began speaking with Jackie, pen and paper were strewn around on her notepad, writing down every key detail up until the last word. I knew exactly what she was doing; this wasn't just a paper trail of evidence to peg Mark and some of the other baseball team members with. I'm sure by the size of the knot on the back of my head- and the excessive amounts of bandages that were used to cover it -Nurse Jackie must have feared for my ability to recall and comprehend what happened. All she needed was an "I'm not sure what happened next…" or maybe even a "This part is slightly fuzzy to me…" and she'd not only inform the school officials of my plight, but also every local hospital with records of my admittance.

Fueled by that prospect alone, I stirred up just enough of an attitude to speak clearly and convincingly enough where no one would have cause to worry.

"…Once I was hit, I must have blacked out and woke up here sometime later…"

Nurse Jackie leaned back in the incline of her chair as a silken pink hand traced back her short blonde hair.

An alleviated sigh escaped her as the other free hand discarded the scribbled-on notepad and began fluffing air into her somewhat sweaty baby blue scrub.

"What a relief… 'Looks like you haven't sustained anything too bothersome from your little scuffle today, so let's just be happy with that, huh?"

I feigned a smile as I nodded at Jackie's evident attempts at coaxing her worry. Surely she knew I was fully aware of her ploy, right? If not, maybe I actually need to schedule _more _time in the office with her; although I'm sure she'd more than likely request it herself so that she can keep a closer watch on me.

Nurse Jackie's silver diamond engagement ring glistened brilliantly in the light of the afternoon as her hand ruffled with her bob.

"How are things with you and Mark, Nurse Jackie?" I asked, springing her into some false sense of awakening.

Realizing what I meant, her eyes shot from me to her left ring finger as her face went from nervous to calm and happy. It must have shocked her when I asked of him since her soon-to-be husband and my assailant unfortunately shared the same name. A small grin perched across her face once the small fright escaped her.

"It's going great actually." Her eyes began a low slant as she began recalling one of the happiest moments of her life. "You know we're due sometime around the end of this year…"

I gave a genuine smile at the announcement.

"That's wonderful!" I exclaimed, purposely ignoring Kevin as I spoke towards my right. "I'm sure the festivities will be astounding…"

Jackie gave me a wink and grinned back to me as she spoke. "Well it damn well better be! My folks have invested quite a pretty penny making sure this engagement goes off without a hitch."

She rose from her chair and rolled it back towards her desk area with a hard kick. "…And we're still expecting to see you there!"

"I wouldn't dream of missing it…"

"Good!" she said before rousing herself with a hard stretch. With a sigh, she exchanged a glare between me and Kevin- who was still wordlessly seated to the left of me. "I swear, kids these days…Ugh… I need a drink…"

"Nurse Jackie…" I started with a scolding tone. "You do know alcoholic beverages are responsible for more than four percent of deaths worldwide, correct?"

Jackie scoffed into a small laugh. "There you go again, Edd." She walked over to my beddings and adjusted the pillow against my back for me to recline in comfort.

She winked once more. "You're not gonna rat me out, are 'ya?"

I laughed. "Your secret's safe with me, I assure you!"

She rose, looking a little _too _unsure of my statement.

"Yeah? And what about him?" her gaze sharpened as she gave a disgusted gesture towards Kevin.

I didn't speak for him. If he wanted to defend himself, he'd do it alone. I was happy to see him, sure, but it wasn't for the reason one might think. I mean honestly; how could someone truly believe I'd be elated to see the pure embodiment of my woes? I was happy to see him _squirm_, not happy to see _him_ personally. I'd actually taken a deeply rooted pleasure in seeing him blanch underneath Nurse Jackie's harsh gaze, and I'd do nothing to stop it if I could help it.

Once he'd realized I'd be of no use to him as far as an answer was concerned, he looked up and met Jackie's gaze with one of matching fervor.

"You're fine, okay? Geez, go drink yourself brain-dead for all I care."

Her lips twitched angrily before snapping back. "Ironic you'd say that seeing the condition your pal here is in. If it weren't for him, you'd be knee deep in the same load of trouble your pals are in…"

"That a threat?" Kevin challenged, causing the hot-headed nurse to react in steam.

Before things escalated further- Kevin sure had a way of ruining my bliss -I intervened and let Nurse Jackie go on about her business.

"It's fine, Nurse Jackie; really. He'll remain silent and I'll see to it that he does so personally."

Before long, her gaze faltered and she doubled back to her desk area in a huff, opening a bottle of what I read to be '_Whiskey' _before she began maintaining her office space.

Out of sight and out of mind, Kevin let out an alleviated sigh.

"Thought she'd never leave…" he said as he removed his bright red baseball cap to scratch around in his autumn orange hair.

I didn't face him, and his comment left me so unnerved I didn't even feel an ounce of remorse for my following comment.

"She was merely doing her _job_, thank you. Some people like to present themselves as _model _members of our society… unlike **most **ruffians I've come into contact with as of late…"

I could feel his character fall into nothing at my words. _Exactly what I'd ventured for…_ I made an adamant attempt towards not facing him, but I was somehow drawn to him once his next statement came forth.

"I deserved that, okay? I know it…" _He was admitting it? Did he agree with _just _that statement? Or was everything that had transpired coming into this? _"I didn't ask the guys to do that to you, believe me. But they were… y'know…" he shrugged. "They were looking out for me…"

I can't even put into words how upset I became, not even if I tried. 'The guys'?... 'Looking out for you'?

"You've got some nerve, Kevin!" My words forced his eyes upward to meet the angered creases of my own. "Who was looking out for me when that paper ball was thrown in my direction!? Which one of your _teammates_ had MY best interests in mind when I was knocked onto the floor and picked up by the nape of my neck?! Whose idea was it to attack me and call me every demeaning word the homosexual community suffers with on a daily basis!?"

I could've said more- I _wanted _to say more –but as soon as one sentence ended, the other started only seconds later, and my mind was going faster than my tongue could manage with. Kevin got the message nonetheless. He didn't have to focus on things like this in his everyday life. I bet not even a soul bothered to challenge _him _with a note that had… _faggot_… written on it in cruder handwriting than the word itself. He has his life handed to him spoon-and-fork, and here I am in a nurse's office because I was born with the misfortune of having to study and earn everything that was given to me…

_Sometimes I just __**hate **__the way this world operates…_

Before I knew it, I was done speaking. It must have been a long pause too, because Kevin's eyes seemed to be going every which way except towards me; it was an obvious indication that the conversation had a pause longer than what was allowed in regular communication.

In that instant, I had one further question. "Who even let you in here, Kevin?"

Kevin gasped inwardly, taken aback by my sudden inquiry. He foolishly played around with the bill of his cap in embarrassment, his eyes meeting the linings of the floor in awkward precision.

It took him longer than it should have, _as did his presence here_, but Kevin soon responded.

"I forced my way into the bathroom once I'd heard what happened… It didn't take too long. The team wouldn't shut the hell up about it even before I came in for practice…" I finally took notice of Kevin's white baseball uniform, dirtied and wrinkled from sliding around from base to base. "The nurse,—" I cut him off to correct him.

"Jackie!" My outburst caused said nurse to jump and slide back to meet my gaze from some distance away. With a reassuring nod from me she'd realized what I'd meant and she promptly retreated back to her task.

Kevin watched this and continued once she'd scooted away. "_Jackie…_" he corrected himself. "After I brought you inside, she kicked me out. She wouldn't budge at first, so I had to bang my shoulder into the door to get inside. I wouldn't leave when she asked me to, so she ignored me and tended to you…"

_Kevin brought me here…? _The thought relieved me… but at the same time my anger at the prospect was apparent.

"…You should've just left me for the custodial staff. I'd rather they had come to my rescue than the one who'd put me in that predicament in the first place…"

My voice sounded cold and disgusting, something I'm far from accustomed to. How in the world was Kevin capable of bringing so much out of me that normally stayed bottled up and withheld? Not even Ed and Eddy have had this effect on me before. There may have been the occasional slip of the tongue- nothing serious and it was usually directed at Eddy anyways –but never have I done it so easily and without sensitivity. The feeling of letting these things out and speaking based on them was new to me, but the fact that I couldn't have picked a better person to unleash these emotions out on made me oh-so satisfied.

Kevin frowned at my words, obviously hurt.

"But… Double D- -"

"_Eddward _is just fine, thanks."

Kevin's gaze faltered once more. "Edd—Eddward… You were bleeding really bad…"

"I'm sure it's nothing Mrs. Rosaline"- one of our friendlier janitors –"couldn't have handled. You were simply in the way…"

"I was scared you were _dead_!" Kevin shouted, halfway rising from his seat and leaning towards me. "I had to do _something_, man! All of this shit was my fault!"

My stoicism still wouldn't budge.

"At least you can point blame towards its worthy individuals for your actions… I can't say I'd think of you any less if you were to direct it at someone else, though…"

Kevin was shocked, his mouth open in pure awe as he reclined back into his chair. "You don't mean that…"

_I begged to differ_. "I couldn't honestly say I don't, Kevin. Within less than 48 hours you've managed to make 'high school' sound like a penalty issued to those who committed the lowest of crimes in their lifetime. Ironically enough you're _in _high school and yet you've somehow still managed to get by without facing some of the obstacles that go along with it. As far as that goes, you can consider yourself lucky; there are others in this predicament that don't have that luxury…"

Surprisingly enough, Kevin managed to keep up with my choice of words. Ed and Eddy sometimes have a hard time differentiating meanings in time enough for a swift rebuttal, but Kevin seemed to have a basic enough understanding to where he could at least manage a feasible response.

"Give me a break, Edd!"

_Okay, maybe not 'feasible', but he does seem to understand…_

"_Eddward_…" I corrected again. "And as it stands I'm afraid you've received one too many 'breaks' for one week… I'm sure I need not remind you who requires thanks for keeping a certain part of this entire altercation under the rug."

Kevin's voice grew low and solemn. A part of me melted at its tone, but as a whole I sat upright and stoic, letting each one fly overhead without a passing thought.

"You're not even gonna let me apologize, man? Can't I at least say I'm _sorry_?"

I was half-tempted to unravel the white gauze from around my skull to accompany my next rebuttal, but instead my hands just gingerly traced each crease of the wrappings as I looked Kevin squarely in the eyes.

"Your apologies aren't required. Keep them. I strangely can't find the right state of mind to lend my ear to such mouthings."

It was beginning to shock me how serious I must look to Kevin as I replied. With my arms crossed and my gaze as sharp as I ever thought manageable, I must have appeared as some sort of unfeeling god. As extreme as that may sound, it definitely fit the current situation.

Kevin's sage green eyes locked onto mine. He must have been hoping for a tell that showed a sign of fib or playful jest. I prided myself in the fact that no such indication came forth. Whatever animosity I felt towards Kevin and our situation was genuine. Not kind, but genuine nonetheless. For a moment, I noticed a glint in his eyes that warned of tears; I might've imagined it, but I assume I'll never truly know because the next series of events happened so fast I swear there was no time to dwell on these things.

From up the hallway of the Infirmary Building, not too far from our quarters, was a voice I recognized all too suddenly. It called out amidst the banging of doors slamming open too quickly to be subtle, and I know of only one person crude enough to perform such acts.

**Double D! Are you in here, pal!?**

A second call came immediately afterwards, not the same voice as before either, but one of even more lovably boyish undertones.

**If Double D is in here, he'll give us a sign and let us know!**

**Shut up, Ed! We're not talking to a dang **_**ghost**_**!**

**But Eddy, I—**

**AHA!**

With one hard push of the door, two faces I'd almost forgotten existed came rushing in triumphantly. Eddy- dressed in a mock Debate Team rehearsal uniform -and Ed, clad in his lacrosse gear, came rushing in and stood past the threshold of the door.

"Found you, Sockhead!" Eddy called angrily as he trudged towards my direction. Ed followed behind with a worried expression.

"Double D! You're alive!" Ed screamed, alarming me at how little he understood of concussions.

"Well of course he is, you dolt! Why else do you think we came all this wa—"

Eddy was cut cold in his tracks once he pushed the white curtain out of the way and stood face-to-face with Kevin.

In a matter of seconds, Eddy's entire demeanor changed, and things began to spiral out of control before I knew it…


	6. Chapter 6

_OKAY! _

_I won't bore you with a long author's not because I'm pretty sure you all are pretty peeved at me for my lack of updates..._

_I'm going to change it soon, but I'm no longer placing this story on hiatus._

_ I said that only because real-life was catching up to this story and my updating consistency, but I managed to make both work in my favor at the last minute!_

_...Somewhat..._

_So, along with any new projects I undergo, expect some more regular updates to this story._

_And as you're readign this, know I'm definitely typing up more chapters to have them ready for upload come my next update!_

_Anyways, Enjoy!_

* * *

_**Take a look here at how the Great White Shark mercilessly shreds its prey in two before going in for its meal!**_

I pulled a soft blue pillow I was nurturing closer towards my face as I lay stomach flat on the edge of my bed, letting it cover my mouth as I stared into the distance. It was Saturday, and I had planned a long time beforehand that I'd spend it at home, laze about and just enjoy some television. It was out of character for me to act like this, especially with Mid-Term assessments due to begin the following Monday, but I let the worry pass seeing as I was sure that I was ready.

_**EGAD! It's it if he didn't even try! Ripped in two without even a chance to blink!**_

I moved my lips to another corner of the throw pillow as I stared, letting the cool mix in with the warmth my nose breathed onto it. I'd been doing this subconsciously for about half an hour now, give or take. It was something about the cooler parts of a pillow that kind of intrigued me, and it felt really nice to press skin against it when it happened.

_**Coming up next on Shark Week…**_

Another marathon. I'm almost one hundred percent certain they broadcast this very same marathon every weekend. The only flaw in my hypothesis is that I wasn't at my house last weekend to test my theory; I was invited by Ed to tag along and spend the weekend with him at Eddy's house -per Eddy's request, of course. It was a really kind gesture and it would have been foolish of me to refuse. Eddy had made arrangements prior to my arrival and tidied his room up considerably well. Ed even went out of his way and double showered, going as far as ask Sarah if she could pick a nicer casual outfit for him. Needless to say, green is definitely his color.

The whole time was spent with nothing but fun and laughter. We watched some of our favorite movies, played some of Ed's rather violent selection of video games- where I discovered my talent in a game called _Street Fighter_ –and we almost didn't get any sleep that Sunday because Eddy decided to mix together some heavily sugared cold beverages.

School the next day went smoothly enough. Monday went off to a sort of embarrassing start when a few of my classmates in AP Anatomy came up to me after class and apologized for what happened. These were faces I'd seen almost every day for the past 9 weeks, but I never knew their respective names until that moment. Mrs. Wattson appeared to be coming to tears when she addressed me that afternoon and expressed her apologies, although there was still some part of me that slightly rejected her and refused to forgive it. Among my classmates though, one face did trigger a sense of recognition that I hadn't felt in quite some time.

* * *

"Hey, Double Dee~" a sweet neutral voice said from behind me.

I flinched and clenched my hand around the brim of my locker door, just about to close it before the voice startled me out of my subconscious.

Slowly, I turned, taken aback at the figure standing in front of me.

"…Ma…Marie?" I said dumbfounded.

She looked very different from when I'd last seen her. Puberty caused her to fill out in most of the right places- despite maybe a pimple and a chipped tooth, but I suppose puberty is only _partly _to blame for that -and her hair wasn't all blue anymore. It must have since then been dyed, but she kept in a few dark blue highlights. She had on a black tank top underneath a ripped up jean jacket with no sleeves. Fitting camouflage patterned cargo pants tucked into tall black combat boots made up the bottom half of her outfit; a nice look for her if I say so myself. Her ensemble was accompanied by black lipstick and some colorful blush that made her cheeks appear rosy and lively. All in all, she looked well, and it slightly made me blush.

With a cute wink and a smile she wrapped her arms around my neck and squeezed in kind, my free arm finding its way around her waist without my noticing as my face surely beamed a darker shade of red.

"Surprised you, huh?" she laughed as she held her wrist up and muffled the chuckle. "Can't say I blame ya', you always were so _easy_."

I wasn't sure what to make of that comment, but I knew I didn't like it much. My mind quickly made note of my surroundings. In the empty halls of Peach Creek we stood. This was normal for me, of course- I was always one the last students to get home, with a club or organization always needing my assistance –but was Marie doing here? Her and her sisters were some of the first kids to get home, and I'm positive that our principal wouldn't let her nor her sisters anywhere near the afterschool activities here at the creek if he could help it.

That aside, one final detail of our current situation struck me as odd. The only corridor to another hallway was almost fifty feet away from us- in the opposite direction of where Marie approached me. My locker was placed on the wall of the hallway that stretched all the way down towards the doors of the gymnasium with no turns into another hall to pass by, and on the opposing side is nothing but classrooms and the Teacher's Lounge. I should have heard her coming… but why didn't I?

"…How…?" the right words for my question just wouldn't come up, mostly because I was stuck picking which one was more appropriate to ask.

"…How long have you been there, Marie?"

That'll do, I suppose…

Marie was taken aback sharply. "Uh…uhm…" she seemed to be looking for the right excuse. I gave her a quizzical glance. "Well, you know, just helping out a teacher so I could get some extra credit. Mid-terms and whatnot…"

Somewhat satisfied with her answer, I dropped my gaze and glanced down to the textbook in my hands. It was my AP Anatomy textbook, and I'd needed it for that night's assignment. I would have done it during lunchtime that day, but Ed and Eddy had some big news to tell me about what happened in their Workshop class, so I never got around to it. Marie trained her gaze down to the textbook as well, and her face grew a little too chagrined for my tastes.

"Idiots." She spat with a hard grunt.

"What?" It surprised me. Was she talking about me? I wasn't sure until she spoke up again.

With a sorrowful look into my eyes, her own were a nice shade of cerulean, she continued. "Come on, Edd. Don't tell me you didn't say it once or twice yourself…" Thinking back now, I definitely did. "Mark and his friends? The quiet dude and the paper ball shtick?"

It struck me too suddenly at once when I realized she meant my- excuse me, _our_ -AP Anatomy class.

"…Oh." I simply said. "_Those_ idiots…"

Her pitiful gaze loomed over me like some sort of blanket, although the feeling it gave me felt suffocating. I'd realized then that the feeling was actually stemming from an awkward silence, brought on by my inability to reply with anything worth answering back to.

Marie stood herself against my lockers and let out a brief sigh as she flipped her neck-length streaks aside.

"High school's _stupid_, Edd…" she said my name, yet she looked elsewhere, down the hall towards the Gym. "I mean here we are, almost out of the place, and then you gotta go and deal with all _this_ shit!" Her hands made circular motions in mid-air as she emphasized the school itself. "I'm so sorry that happened to you… You didn't deserve it…"

I still couldn't speak; I merely glared into my distorted refection in the cellophane cover of my book.

Noticing this, Marie prompted me. "Homework in Mrs. Wattson?"

I didn't look up. "Yes. Page 519; we have to complete the first few lesson reviews in Chapter Thirteen for next week's test…"

"TEST?" Marie's face lit up in anguish. "Oh, geez! You gotta be kiddin' me…"

As she looked to the side again and played around with her bang, I took the opportunity to fix a few things around in my locker and sign-off on my hanging notepad that I'd retrieved my textbook. I kept a very strict organizational system for these types of things; it helps in certain situations when I can't quite recall where I'd misplaced something… As a child I had one particular experience with my magnifying glass that left me very perturbed throughout the day, so to avoid situations like that I'd made up this system. I scribbled down the time and date with subpar penmanship, before I noticed the scratch-outs and doodles Eddy placed on the calendar a few weeks ago. It made me smile a little before I gently clicked the locker shut and twisted the dial for precautionary purposes. The latch taking hold made Marie flinch and look back over to me, her gaze just previously trained on a classroom door.

"Oh? You leavin'?" she asked as her hands entered her pockets.

I nodded quickly, holding the textbook up to my face as I did. _Goodness, where did I pick that up from?_

"Yes, excuse me. It will take an hour or so to complete the assignment and I don't want to get home too late to begin."

Marie nodded in understanding and gave me a wink. "Okay then, Edd. See ya around, okay?"

I flushed again, my knees retreating to some gelatinous state as I began a cold sweat. "Uh—of course… I look forward to it, Marie."

With another smile, she stepped up to me and placed a small peck of a kiss to my left cheek. I awkwardly flinched away in nervousness, but she still managed to place the mark beforehand and she didn't seem to notice the retreat anyways.

"Me too." she said, and she watched me walk off before she turned and went on to her own vices.

* * *

It surprised me that she'd be so invasive of my personal space when I saw her, let alone the surprising realization that she was in my first period class this whole time. I felt bad about never noticing, although given our upbringings I doubt I would have spoken to her much.

What surprised me even more was who _wasn't _in class that week. The principal called me in the next school day after getting word of what transpired in the boys' bathroom from Nurse Jackie. She'd handed him the notepad she wrote on and accompanied what I'd said with some ammo of her own. Apparently Mark had a knack for bullying that stemmed long before he and his teammates chose to bother me. Quiet kids at Peach Creek seemed to always be the victims; a quiet Goth from the freshman class, a foreign exchange student from Russia who could just barely speak our language, and another boy from the sophomore class who was attacked shortly after school for his expensive pair of shoes.

The cases were all the same. Each student was under-classed, outmatched, outnumbered, beaten and/or bruised, and- perhaps the most important part, if not the luckiest –Nurse Jackie was always the one to tend to them afterwards. At first she had no idea who Mark was, and the underclassmen were threatened into silence by members of whatever sport Mark was in at the time of year. When my current situation came to order, she made an adamant attempt at finding who the perpetrator was. Sadly though, I was rendered unconscious for most of the day when she needed the name, and when Kevin brought me in- I still have my qualms with that fact -Nurse Jackie forced the name out of him.

It goes without saying that our principal took action immediately. I was called into the office that Wednesday, I'd spent Tuesday in the school infirmary after receiving the hospitals blessings, and I was made to identify other members of the team who joined Mark that Monday. Pictures were taken of my injuries for judicial evidence, although Nurse Jackie had already given copies of her own from before she'd wrapped my wounds. Mark and the other three students responsible were immediately subject to expulsion, and charges were being placed on each of them by an attorney I never knew I had; my parents more than likely hired one for just such an occasion, although they probably thought it would stem from an altercation in the cul-de-sac, not at Peach Creek.

After I was cordially introduced to my attorney, I was asked to hear a reading of all charges that were to be placed on Mark and the others and to object to any that I didn't want them tried with. As miserable as I feel about it now, I wish I didn't have to subject them to the law and drop the charges, but I learned too quickly that my lawyers were not taking no for an answer. Mark and his friends weren't just being charged at my own expense- one reason why I was unable to drop the charges -they were also being pegged with their attacks on other students at Peach Creek too. Those students were later represented by their own appointed lawyers, so even then my dropping the charges would really do nothing but prolong their sentencing, and I feel that would somehow be unfair to everyone, including myself.

Once the charges were read, evidence was compiled into a folder for the courts to have reference of. It was then that I found out just where all of my injuries came from. Mark and his friends proceeded to kick and punch me long after I was left in a heap of myself on the floor. My head had an open gash on it that leaked blood and pooled around me, my leg was bent in an awkward position, and my arm needed a splint that I'd received before being brought into the office by Jackie. It had all explained where the blooded clothes and subsequent bandages and casts came from, and the bruise that surfaced on my arm within the next few days was almost expected at that point. The casts became quite a distraction in about a day's time, complicating most of all of my everyday tasks… I won't even begin to describe the nuisance showering had grown to be.

Kevin wasn't fully let off the hook either, which I'm sure surprised him as much as it did us. By us, I mean Ed, Eddy, Jackie and myself. It was his own fault, really, and while Eddy was somewhat to blame as well, Kevin was the one to force an act that would constitute reprimand.

It all occurred just seconds after Eddy burst in with Ed in tow. I sat upright in my bedding, startled by their entry, and could only watch what unfolded before anyone intervened.

* * *

"YOU!" Eddy roared, the sleeve of his dark blue blazer rising up his arm tauntingly.

"Eddy, calm down." I said quickly. "Kevin and I were just-"

"What is _he _doing here!?" he called out, stepping up to Kevin standoffishly. Now he was actually addressing him. "Come to finish him off, huh?! Putting him in the nurse's office ain't enough for ya'?! Why I outta-!"

Then, Ed stepped in between the two and stopped Kevin from getting any closer to Eddy with his oversized palms.

For the first time, or at least the first time that I've ever seen, Ed's face became so hardened and aggressive it even made Kevin wince a little bit.

"Don't touch Eddy…" he said with less emotion than what was needed.

Then he turned towards Eddy. "…And don't hurt Kevin…"

"What the hell, Ed?!" Now Eddy was screaming. He began gesturing towards Kevin. "Don't tell me you're defending this _jerk_?"

"Uh-uh…" Ed shook his head in a disapproving fashion. "Double D is hurt, Eddy… No yelling…"

"Yes, Eddy, please." I said. "I'm right here and I'm fine, there's really no need to-"

"LIKE HELL!" Eddy shouted, causing Ed to let out a worried whimper. As he pointed at Kevin accusingly, Ed and I both knew things were spiraling out of control. "It's _your_ fault he's lyin' in that bed now, you closet freak!"

'_Closet freak?' _I thought with distaste. _Just who did you pick THAT up from, Eddy? _His brother came to mind, but I let the thought go. _Oh, where is Nurse Jackie when you need her?_

"Because of him…" his eyes scanned me up and down from the middle of the room where they stood, out of Nurse Jackie's sight and just barely in my own past the off-white curtains. "Cuz of him, you're sittin there now with a broken arm and a leg that looks just as busted up as your _head_!"

…_Gee, thanks…_

"_MY FAULT?!" _Kevin spat at his accusation. "I'm not the one who conked Edd on the back of the head and forced him in here!"

"You might as well have, Shovel Chin!" He stepped up closer, a little too overpowered by Kevin's obvious extra foot in height. "If you'd 'a just left _my _friend alone, Edd wouldn't be in here with a knot bigger than Timbuk-fuckin'-tu!"

Eddy's observations were crude, to say the least.

"You think just 'cause you're _'oh so' _popular, that you can get away with whatever ya' want!" I feared the worst when Kevin's hands tightened into fists at his sides. "You strut around like you're 'Mr. Big Shot' or somethin' then want to blame someone _else _when your problems come back to bite you in the ass!? You're no better than Mark you big-headed, oversized chin havin'-!"

In one huge motion, Eddy careened into Ed with a hard grunt. My hands immediately covered the gasp escaping me as Kevin's right arm recoiled from its position in the air, his fist red with the contact from hitting Eddy in the face.

"HEY!" came a shout from past the curtain wall. Jackie must have heard the punch; I certainly did, and now she was there to stop whatever what was going on.

"…Kevin…" I gasped watching Ed pick himself and Eddy off the floor.

"You provoked me, you little twerp!" Kevin yelled as his hand rested in another clenched fist at his side. "Now that's what you get!"

Eddy roused himself and pounced at Kevin without a word, beginning his attack within seconds. Ed could have stopped him had Eddy made some kind of growl or noise that would signal the attack, but Eddy probably knew this and thought ahead of time to just simply go at it before anyone forced them apart.

Ever prepared, Kevin braced himself for Eddy's jump and caught him mid-air. Using his own momentum, Kevin slammed Eddy onto the ground and watched him roll a few feet into the distance. Jackie, having finally emerged from the other side of the room, just caught hold of the scene as Eddy stood upright and started to exchange blows with the gingered baseball player.

After many flurries of hits on both sides, weight subdued them and they were forced to the ground in their scuffle. More punches were thrown, with Eddy taking one to the eye and Kevin receiving a matched blow to the cheek. It took some doing, but Eddy managed to roll over onto Kevin and pinned his arms down with his knees. I cried out to object as Eddy proceeded to hit him squarely in the face with precision. On the third hit, Kevin's nose burst into a blooded mess and his mouth joined in chorus. The fourth punch had just connected before Ed ran over and snatched Eddy into his arms. Everything happened within a matter of seconds, too fast for Jackie and I to grasp. If it weren't for Ed's quick thinking to run in after the two, they probably would have continued on and made more damage to one another that may have required more medical attention then what Jackie had on-hand.

In the instant that Ed pulled Eddy off, just as Kevin found himself freed from Eddy's weight, Ed was accidently the receiver of Kevin's next hit, being hit forcefully in the right eye before pulling Eddy up and separating the two.

* * *

The next few days after my meeting in the office were spent in recovery mode after that. Ed's blackened eye healed up rather quickly due to his sister Sarah nursing the wound like she did. The last thing Ed wanted to do was worry her, but he found it to be unavoidable once he walked her home from practice that night.

Kevin's injuries were sustainable, but massive. The gash left on his lip healed into a small pinkish scar and whatever other injuries to the face he had were hardly noticeable under Jackie's care. His nose still required a bandage strip that he applied himself every morning, since he desperately wanted the bruise to go away.

As for Eddy, he and Kevin both received a week's worth of detention for the whole thing. It entailed helping Nurse Jackie out in the infirmary during their lunch breaks, where I volunteered to help out as well to maintain the peace. Ed and Eddy objected to that, and even Nurse Jackie, the principal- and Kevin –had their share of concerns about it when I asked, but it was a wise decision on my end because there were no other altercations to note on. A dentist appointment was scheduled for him to have the small section of his tooth repaired that Kevin's first hit chipped off, and that was after Jackie scheduled the hospital to place his middle and index fingers into their own separate castings the day before, but all in all, he's healed up and back to normal too.

_**If you've been with us thus far, we've seen the Great White devour many a prey, and now we're going to take a look into the life of the Tiger—**_

_**DOUBLE D!**_

The voice shook me awake suddenly, and I quickly wiped a small portion of drool from my lips as it started to accumulate onto my pillow. It was Eddy, who watched me impatiently as I roused myself awake.

"Give me the remote, geez! We've been watching this **boring **_Shark Week _crap all day!" he said, hand outstretched expectantly.

"Yea, Double D…" this was Ed, holding up a rather large box-set of DVD's. He held up a purple disc close to my face so I can observe the cover. "We wanna watch _Mutant Zombies II from the Planet Uranus!"_

_...__Sounds legit..._

Eddy and Ed were spending the weekend at my house this time, per my request. The last time we did this, I was coping with my situation with Kevin, and it was a much sadder affair, so I insisted they came over this time to just simply lounge about. The light outside still seemed just as bright and sunny from when I'd last observed it, although truthfully I was terrible at telling time with just the suns direction.

I tried to eye over to the alarm clock on my nightstand, but Ed's body was seated next to mine and was thus blocking it. Eddy prodded my side expectantly with his splinted finger from his relaxed position across my back, and he was irritably halting my ability to move and stretch. Ed promptly walked over to the television and switched to an auxiliary mode that would play his movie, although he'd still needed the remote to play it.

I managed to catch the time with Ed's passing, and it was just dawning on seven o'clock, although usually dark despite daylight savings time it was admittedly one of the best times to watch some of the movies Ed likes to bring over. With a yawn that sounded much too similar to a cat's meow, I spoke out to them both.

"How long was I asleep?"

Eddy sat upright and leaned in close to my face with slanted eyes. "…You were _asleep?"_

I flinched and let out a nervous chuckle as I feigned an itch to the back of my head

Eddy carefully pulled away and grabbed the remote from my hand with a harsh snatch.

"You're welcome!" I called after him as he stepped over to Ed and handed him the device.

Eddy's arms folded over as he tapped his foot. "You know who to work this thing, Lumpy?"

Ed's tongue spewed out as he entered a deep thinking process, eyebrow scrunched into a peak at the eyes.

"Uh…" he went. "Nope… You do it…"

Eddy threw his hands up, annoyed. "Well _I _dunno how to work it!" He turned to me. "It's Double D's stuff; _he _should do it…"

_Goodness gracious… _"Give it to me…" I demanded, asking for the remote control.

I walked over and met the tip of the black box with that of my VCR as pressed "play" and watched as a pretty grotesque scene of a woman having her entrails devoured looped over and over on the home screen.

"Cool." Ed commented as the reflection of colors mirrored onto his skin.

"Don't stand so close, Ed… you'll damage your eyes…" I moved him back towards the end of my bed and we each sat down at on the floor at the foot of it. As yet another loop of a man running for his life from a group of deformed zombified civilians played, I sat in between the other _Ed's _and turned to the tallest one.

"Ed…" I said over the pained cries of mutilation. "How long is this movie…?"

The smile that grew onto Ed and Eddy's faces made me very uncomfortable at that point.

"One hundred…Forty-seven minutes…" They both said in awkward unison.

_Oh dear… _I placed my knees firmly up to my face as the first few scenes started, fearing the worst.

I prepared for it all despite my not actually wanting to see another _gem _from Ed's horror movie stash, but who could honestly **prepare **to see a woman be beheaded and feasted upon by cannibalistic mutant zombies?

Another _'fun-filled'_ weekend, I suppose…

…Excuse me while I try to stomach the fact that the zombies are now biting into her legs like chicken wings…


End file.
